Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-06-09
GASEOUS FINDLAY.
AN OHIO TOWN THAT TAKES THE
CAKE AT ADVERTISING,

And Gets Ali the Neighborins states to
Help Her-Remarkabie Growth Conse-
quent Upon the Possession of Dozen
Gas wens-The City Decorated and II
Illuminated for All 1t Is Worth.
FISDLAy, Ohio, June 9--Findlay is hold
ing high carnival 1t is Ohio's first anniver-
sary of the application of natural gas in me
chanical arts in this state Not less than TO-
900 strangers, representing the principal
cities of Ohio, Illinois. Indiana, New York,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, and other states,
are on the spot, and adyices indicate that the
roster will be increased by from so 1000 to To-
600 The public decorations in honor of the
event would do credit to any metropolitan
city Triumphal arches are to be seen on the
pike roads at distance of four miles from
the city, and Main street for mile or more
each way from the court house is literally
studded with arches, unique in design and
artistic in construction A half million of
flags of one size or another decorate the fronts
of public andprivate buildings, hundreds of
thousands of yards of bunting and evergreenS
are wound about pillars and posts. Seventy
thousand parti-colored globes encircling the
arches or arranged in designs innumerable
upon the buildings glisten in the sun light
and for a radius of five miles the town and
suburbs are fringed with bright hued bunting
and the air resounds with the music of bands
and cheers of jubiant citizens
Tue history of Findlay reads like romance
| from the pen of Jules Verne Two years ago
| it was hum-drum town of some 5000 inab
itants. To-day it is manufacturing com
| munity with population of nearly 10000,
while three months hence, when all the build
| mgs under course of construction are occu
pied, it will contain over $4,000 souls Thirty
| days ago the ground at Main and Front
streets was prairie land Today it is covered
with commodious chamber of commerce,
complete even to carpets, and which is
credit to the city This is fair illustration
of the growth of the city, Two years ago its
first well was drilled To-day it has dozen,
and its daily supply is 50G0,000 feet. A
year ago the gas was first applied to prac-
teal industry n the Welding of iron and steel
| To-day the town boasts not only of
| IRON and steel works. but of glass
| and furniture factories, rolling mills, boiler
| works, oil refineries and numerous other in
dustries. The gas is furnished free for man
ufacturing enterprises and hence the boom.
Wednesday mornings proceedings We're
| largely of an informal character Commit
tees met all the trains, and guests from the
east and west We're escorted to their head
| quarters Every house IN the town has been
thrown open and hospitality fairly runs wild
The morning was occupied with visits to the
gas wells and oil fields ard to the manufac-
turing establishments in operation
/ The principal event of the day was the
laying Of the corner stones of the Lagrange
rolling mill. the door and sash factory the
-abe and chain works and the Madet chair
and furniture factory, all of which enter
prists are located in the south end of the city,
and will when completed, give employment
to several thousand men and women. Tbs
ceremonies We're under the auspices of the
Munce, tInd) canton and the Marion Gndl
| canton of the Patriarchs Militant, and were
| performed in full accordance with the ritual
| In consequence of the intense heat, however
it was found necessary to make one ceremony
answer, and all of the stones were conse
quently laid at the same moment
The Indiana cantons then proceeded &c
Camp Garfield, where they participated in a
military drill which was witnessed by sew
erssl Thousand spectators. The evolutions Of
both cantons were excellent, but it was the
general imprsssi on that the Marions wer,
superior in point of soldierly bearing ant
tactics. The judges will make their award
on Friday.
The evening exercises at the wigwam were
of a purely social character, being confined
, to music and addresses by citizens. The illu
mination of the town was on scale which
has never probably been equalled, even i
attempted. anywhere in the country. Seven
Tongues OF flame, each from two to three fee
in height, shot from the tops of each of The
scores of arches with which Main street i:
, Spauued, while lighted globes of varied hue
occupied every inch of space on the foul
sides of the arch columns completing an ori
entail ensemble SO effective was the illu
minatiou that at points many miles distant i
was supposed for while that a general con
hsgraiion was in progress.
senator Sherman and Governor Forake
viii he here, and Senator Farwell, of Illinois
: is expected a party Of Chicagoans includ
ing Charles Henrotin, J. d. Jennings, H. H
Honore and &. H. Gunther are here to assist
, in the ovation that is in store for him Gov
! ernor Hill, who had been confidently expect
ed, telegraphed his regrets.